INNOVATION CLUSTERS IN RUSSIA: EFFICIENCY ASSESSMENT AND ROLE IN THE TECHNOLOGICAL TRANSFORMATION OF REGIONS

Innovation clusters are considered as a key tool for increasing regional competitiveness, forming new value chains, and integrating science, business, and government into a single innovation circuit. However, the degree of effectiveness of cluster policy in Russia, as well as its impact on the technological renewal of regional economies, remain insufficiently studied, which determines the need for a comprehensive analysis. The relevance of the research is determined by the need to accelerate the technological transformation of Russian regions in the context of structural economic changes, increasing global competition and increasing restrictions on access to critical technologies. The purpose of the study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the functioning of innovation clusters in Russian regions and to determine their role in ensuring the technological transformation of territorial socio-economic systems. The scientific novelty lies in the development of an integrated approach to assessing the effectiveness of innovation clusters, including the integration of indicators of innovation potential, networking and technological dynamics of regions. The paper proposes the author's classification of innovation clusters according to the level of technological maturity and their impact on the formation of regional innovation ecosystems. Causal relationships between the degree of clustering and the dynamics of technological modernization of the regional economy have been established. The main results of the study show that a high degree of institutional connectivity and the development of network interactions in clusters statistically significantly correlate with the growth of innovative activity of enterprises, an increase in the share of high-tech products, acceleration of import-independent development processes and expansion of digital infrastructure in the regions. The practical significance of the work lies in the possibility of applying the proposed methodology for assessing the effectiveness of clusters in regional strategizing, substantiating government support measures and forming tools for the development of innovative ecosystems.